The Olympus OM-D E-M5, a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, will be released in Japan in late March.

The OM-D is a compact, lightweight Micro Four Thirds camera, similar to the current Olympus PEN series, but in this new camera the emphasis is on taking photos using the viewfinder. The newly announced model features a multipurpose digital viewfinder, as well as a 3-inch tilting OLED touch screen.

“We wanted to make a full-spec camera that was mirrorless, so we considered a variety of forms. We wanted to use a large viewfinder, directly above the lens, but without making the OLED panel smaller. We also wanted the lens to be large enough so that you can hold it firmly. So we decided to utilize the adaptability, style, and system from the old OM Series.”

The viewfinder, with its 1.44 megapixel LCD, has been designed so that all settings needed to compose a photo, including brightness and color, can be adjusted while checking the results, without taking your eye from the finder.

“We’ve made it possible to operate this camera mainly by using two dials, to adjust the color and so on, while looking through the finder.”

“We’ve also provided a new feature for customers who are really particular about photography, a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor. In addition, the camera body has a shake compensation mechanism. Until now, only shaking around two axes, like this, was compensated. But we’ve developed a system that can cope with shaking in all directions, including translational motion like this, and motion around the optical axis like this.”

This world-first feature, five-axis image stabilization, is activated by pressing the shutter halfway, and because the mechanism is built into the body, it works even if the lens is changed. It can also handle camera shake while shooting video.

“This camera is water-resistant and dust-resistant, so it can be used in the rain or in sandy places. To make the body tough, it’s covered in magnesium alloy. So this model is pretty strong.”

“At Olympus, we offer two series of mirrorless cameras, the PEN Series and the OM-D Series. The PEN Series is for people who want to take good pictures easily for lots of purposes, such as social media and blogs. The OM-D Series is designed for people who are really into photography. We hope people who want to take truly unique photos will utilize OM-D cameras.”

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